


& I Must Go

by elisela



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Chris and his Idiot Dads, Christopher Diaz is a National Treasure, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:35:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23780014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elisela/pseuds/elisela
Summary: “Eagle Rock is a five and a half mile hike,” Eddie says, crossing his arms over his chest. “You do remember who we’re taking, don’t you?”Buck’s gaze doesn’t leave Eddie’s face, but he shrugs. “Chris is the one who chose it,” he says. “No harm in letting him try.”
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Comments: 25
Kudos: 568





	& I Must Go

**Author's Note:**

> [HAPPY CHRIS DIAZ WEEK!](https://chrisdiazweek.tumblr.com) This is for day 2: Chris gets hurt.

Chris has been asleep for hours by the time they get to this point: sitting at the kitchen table, a mostly-empty plate of nachos and a few beers in between them, staring each other down.

“Eagle Rock is a five and a half mile hike,” Eddie says, crossing his arms over his chest. “You do remember who we’re taking, don’t you?”

Buck’s gaze doesn’t leave Eddie’s face, but he shrugs. “Chris is the one who chose it,” he says. “No harm in letting him try.”

Eddie already knows he’s going to lose this battle. Buck doesn’t give an inch where Christopher is concerned, his desire and drive to fulfill his son’s wishes pushes him past the point where Eddie would capitulate to the inevitable. “It’s going to take hours, Buck. And we’re going to have to carry him most of the way, which will probably annoy him.”

Buck scoffs. “My little man would never be annoyed with a piggy-back ride.”

“You are being willfully obtuse,” Eddie tries, but Buck just grins at him.

“I told him we had to be out of the house by 5am,” Buck says, and Eddie groans. “Keeps us out of the sun.”

“You realize it’s almost midnight.”

Buck grins at him. “Then we better go get some sleep, shouldn’t we?”

Eagle Rock isn’t a bad hike; Eddie has run it several times on his own. He finds he’s less resistant to the idea in the morning, after Buck wakes him with a kiss and a cup of cold brew pressed into his hands. 

“Bags are packed,” Buck says when Eddie stumbles out of bed. “We’re all ready, just get dressed.”

Eddie stares at the top of the dresser, rubs at his eyes in case he’s seeing things. “Did you set clothes out for me?”

“Sure did,” Buck says. He leans in and kisses Eddie’s forehead. Eddie stares at him for a few seconds longer, until Buck scrunches up his nose. “What?”

“You’re such a dad,” Eddie says fondly, shaking his head with a smile. “I just—it’s sweet.”

A blush creeps up Buck’s face, but he looks pleased, especially when Eddie leans forward and kisses him. “So I have a gallon of water for each of us,” he says after he clears his throat. 

“It’s a five mile hike, Buck. Before the sun is up.”

“Full first aid kit,” Buck continues. 

“In my pack, no doubt,” Eddie grumbles. 

“Snacks, of course.”

“Weren’t we going out to eat after?”

“Do you think we need a flashlight?”

Eddie pulls his shirt over his head. “Babe. It’s a five mile trail that’s just outside the city. We’re not packing for a summer on the Pacific Crest Trail. Whatever you have is fine.”

“Just wanted to make sure you knew we were covered,” Buck says, sighing dramatically. “I’m not the one who has an inventory for his car kit, now am I?”

Eddie grins at him. “You know me well,” he says, patting Buck on the chest. He takes the sweatshirt that Buck offers him, his well-loved 118 softball team hoodie, and carefully does not think about how his heart feels about Buck sharing his clothing. They’ve been dating for a year and a half, and Eddie is pretty sure he should be over that butterfly feeling by now. 

He thinks he’s pretty lucky that he still gets to feel it. And with the way Buck is looking at him after he throws it on, he’s pretty sure he’s not the only one that feels that way. 

“We could,” he says, jerking his head towards the bed. “Real quick?”

Buck laughs. “Nice try. Your kid’s waiting in the living room.”

“ _My kid_ would still be asleep at 5:15 on Saturday morning. Whoever that kid in the living room is, he’s yours.”

Eddie had expected that one of them would have to carry Chris most of the way. He did not expect that they would have to start only a half-mile in, after Christopher’s crutch catches at a patch of loose rocks and he goes down hard, sliding off the trail and into the sagebrush. 

It’s a testament to how well he and Buck work together that they don’t need to say a word; Eddie is closest to where Chris went down, so he drops his pack and scrambles down the short embankment to where Chris is trying not to cry on the ground. By the time he checks him over for obvious breaks or injuries and carries him back up the slope, Buck has his hoodie folded up and on the ground next to the first aid kit. He hands a pair of gloves off to Eddie—on autopilot, Eddie guesses, but he puts them on anyway after he sets Chris on the hoodie.

“Talk to me, baby,” Buck says cheerfully. “What’s the damage?”

Though his cheeks are wet with tears, Chris giggles. 

“Male patient, age 15,” Buck continues.

“Bucky! I’m 10!”

“Looks to have abrasions on his hands.”

“Gonna guess knees, too, Captain Buckley,” Eddie adds. “I see a few rips here. Sir, do you think we can roll the jeans up?”

Chris is laughing. “Dad!”

“Captain, huh? I like the sound of that.” Buck nudges him gently, smiling, passing wipes over. “Diaz, you’ve got his left side?”

“Sure thing, Cap.”

“You guys aren’t funny,” Chris says, even though he’s still grinning widely. He watches them intently, though, and rolls his eyes when they’re done and Buck fist bumps Eddie. 

“Pack up, Diaz, I’ll take care of transport,” he says, bending down and picking Chris up, settling him on his back. 

“You guys are dorks,” Chris informs them. “Buck, am I too heavy for you?”

Buck makes a scandalized noise. “Are you kidding me, little man? You’re like a leaf. I could do this all day.”

“So we can keep going?”

Eddie can’t help but laugh at his hopeful tone. 

“I’m good if you are,” Buck says. 

Privately, Eddie thinks it will make for a faster hike; even with the extra weight on him, Buck can—and will—make it up the hill in a quarter of the time it would take with Chris. And though he hates that his son got hurt, he thinks it might not be such a bad thing that he got a little banged up, because Eddie hadn’t been looking forward to a lengthy hike. “Don’t think I don’t know what this was,” he says, picking up Buck’s pack and slinging it over his shoulder. “You two are conspiring to get me to carry everything.”

Buck turns to face him, grinning. “I’ll take mine back if you can catch us,” he says, and bounds off. 

Eddie sincerely hopes they don’t have to get the first aid kit out again. 

By noon, they’ve worn themselves out hiking under the rising sun (Chris had recovered enough to make the last mile and a half on his own), stuffed their bellies full of breakfast foods, and now Eddie is gazing longingly at his bed while Chris chatters about going to the museum in the bedroom doorway.

“Buddy,” he interrupts, “your old dad’s gonna need about two hours of recovery before he’s ready to do anything else.” He glances over a Buck and adds with a wink, “Your young dad might be able to take you, though.”

Buck ducks his head, smiling, and Chris rolls his eyes. “But in two hours we can go?”

Eddie sighs. “Make it three and yes. I know you’ve got money squirreled away in that piggy bank though, dinner might be on you tonight.”

Chris cheers. “I’m going to play on my tablet,” he says.

“Read a book first!” Buck calls, before he shuts the door behind Chris. “Young dad, huh?”

Eddie finishes pulling his pants off and flops on the bed, face down. “Well, you’re younger,” he says. “Couldn’t very well say more attractive dad, right?”

Buck laughs, and elbows him as he stretches out alongside him. “Dick.”

“Smarter dad,” Eddie offers. 

“Ha ha.”

“Oh, funnier dad,” Eddie says. “That’s a good one.”

“You’re an asshole.”

“An asshole that carried three gallons of water up a hill for you today.” He shifts around, trying to press himself closer to Buck. 

“Aww that must have been hard for an old man,” Buck teases. Eddie makes a noise of protest when he gets off the bed, but Buck just grabs lotion out of his nightstand and settles himself over Eddie. “Shirt off,” he says. “I’ll give you a back rub, you big baby.”

Eddie ignores the insult and wastes no time in complying.

“Might lead to something a little more though,” Buck says softly, his head bent low, strong hands sliding and kneading Eddie’s shoulders.

“Better,” Eddie mumbles, turning his face so Buck can hear him. “Why do you think I asked for three hours?”

Buck laughs, his breath tickling Eddie’s neck. “Smart dad, indeed.”

**Author's Note:**

> [prompt me on tumblr](https://hearteyesforbuck.tumblr.com/ask) or follow [hearteyesforbuck](https://hearteyesforbuck.tumblr.com/)


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